Her Favorite Season
by Cotton Candy Mareep
Summary: Together, Kana and Lillian celebrate the Konohana Snow Festival with giant ice sculptures, homemade winter sweaters, and more horse-related antics, and Lillian is reminded exactly why winter was always her favorite season. TVS Secret Santa 2013 gift for OffCenterFold!


Her Favorite Season

Lillian smiled to herself as she trudged through the snow along the familiar path leading from her farm, which had been completely transformed into a winter wonderland overnight. She watched calmly, her breath escaping in puffs of icy vapor, as snowflakes swirled through the air all around her, many of them landing gently in her chestnut brown hair where they then stuck.

It was the first snowfall Konohana village had experienced this season, and already, the grass and cherry trees and stalks of wild bamboo lining the paths were coated in a thick dusting of pristine white snow. That was the one thing Lillian liked best about the first snowfall in winter- it made everything look so clean and pretty and _different_. Sure, it was still the same old village Lillian had been living in for a few years now, but with a fresh covering of snow, the familiar eastern setting looked almost like an entirely new land.

Winter was, by far, Lillian's favorite season. First of all, she could finally grow the beautiful blue roses and snowdrop flowers that she had purchased the seeds for all the way at Cam's flower stand in Bluebell, which she planted along with her sturdy bok choy and daikon radish crops. Seeing her lovely flowers peeking up through the snow each winter morning always seemed to brighten the farmer's mood for the rest of the day.

Secondly, she could now wear her thickest alpaca wool sweaters without overheating while enjoying her favorite meal at Yun's tea house: hot kimchi stew served alongside a steaming cup of ginseng tea, followed by a small egg tart for dessert. There was something oddly satisfying in watching the snow fall endlessly outside the window while remaining warm and pleasantly full inside the cozy little tea house.

And lastly, winter was Lillian's favorite season because it gave her the perfect chance to relax and celebrate with some of her best friends, which was always nice. Even after living in Konohana village for a few years, Lillian still wasn't completely used to the customs and festivals that the people of Konohana participated in annually, but she appreciated them all the same; especially with the help of the friends she had made.

* * *

Lillian grinned as she stepped into the horse stable at her neighbor Kana's farm, her cheeks flushed from the cold after her short walk through the snow. She didn't bother to announce her sudden arrival; Kana was one of the very first people Lillian had befriended after her initial move to Konohana, and over the years they had become so close that it was normal for each of them to show up randomly at the other's home unannounced every once in a while. More than once had Lillian been in the midst of some activity at home, when Kana would casually walk in through her front door without so much as a knock, very nearly missing a few awkward encounters. It was a strange sort of friendship, to say the least, but it worked for them.

Kana was just in the middle of feeding his horses their breakfast when Lillian walked in, his back turned to the brunette girl as he offered a carrot-shaped treat to his prized horse, Hayate. He had obviously been hard at work the past few days; the entire stable had been decorated with garlands of evergreen in celebration of the season. For a moment, Lillian considered sneaking up behind her friend and giving him a good startle, but her plans were foiled when Kana turned around and smirked at her before she could make a move.

"Can't sneak up on me… I heard you come in," he laughed. Behind him, Hayate gobbled up the carrot treat and whinnied.

Lillian feigned annoyance, crossing her arms in front of her chest as she let out a huff, though she couldn't hide the grin on her face. "How did you hear me, anyway?"

Kana laughed again and beckoned the farmer closer. "You may be _dainty_, but your footsteps sure aren't. You're going to have to walk a bit more lightly than that. I could hear you coming a mile away!" Before she could protest further, he added, "Come on and give Hayate a pat. She's happy to see you."

Lillian gladly obliged. She had always gotten along well with animals, and Kana's beloved horse was no exception. She had a lot of respect for the old mare, who was an irreplaceable family member of Kana's and had lived with the young man ever since he was just a boy. Hayate was getting older now and had been experiencing some soreness in her legs as of late, but Kana cared for her just as affectionately as he had when he was younger, if not more so.

Lillian giggled as she stroked the horse's silky mane. Even Hayate was all decked out for the holidays. Her dark mane and tail were adorned with small scarlet bows, and a large wreath of evergreen had been placed around her neck. As Lillian admired the work done to the horse's mane, Kana, who was practically bouncing with excitement, took his chance to bring up the one thing that had been on his mind ever since Lillian had come inside.

"You know, the Konohana Snow Festival is coming up! And guess who's head of the ice sculpting committee this year…!"

Lillian groaned, though in a good-natured manner. "Let me guess…"

Kana grinned, and without waiting for an answer, he proudly pointed both his thumbs at his chest. "_Me_!"

His farmer friend let out a small snort. "_This_ should be interesting… What are you going to sculpt, a giant horse?"

"Hey!" Kana's gleeful expression faltered just for a moment. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, nothing…" Lillian turned to give Hayate another pat, as a means to conceal the knowing smirk that had crossed her face. Honestly, Kana could be so oblivious at times.

"Well, whatever. But I'll have you know, this ice sculpture is going to be the best Konohana has seen in years! I'll make sure of it; you mark my words!"

"Oh!" The girl's expression brightened. "That reminds me, I brought you a present!"

"Really?" Kana stared at her in bewilderment. "What is it?"

Lillian giggled. "Don't look so amazed, Kana. We're friends, right? And that's what friends do… get gifts for each other during the holidays, because they care about each other very much and appreciate each other's company and all that jazz. One of the things they do, anyway."

She turned to pull a large, flat box out of her rucksack and then presented it to Kana with an air of bravado, though she couldn't completely disguise the lightest hint of pink spreading over her cheeks. Kana, however, paid no notice to her expression. He took the package from her and inspected it, neatly wrapped in green paper with a red ribbon perched on top.

He began to tear the wrapping paper off as Lillian went on, "I don't know if you'll like it, but I made it myself, and-"

She stopped to watch Kana lift the lid off the box and peer inside curiously, and bit her lip with anticipation as he grabbed something from within. Something large and fluffy and red.

Kana stretched his arms out wide to get a good look at the homemade holiday sweater in his hands. It was soft beneath his calloused fingertips, made from some lightweight crimson material, and the front was carefully embroidered with images of snowflakes and horses in a neatly arranged pattern.

Lillian anxiously stood up on her tiptoes to watch Kana's face, her hands clasped behind her back. "I knitted it all by myself, with the wool from my alpaca back at the farm. And I colored it with my own homemade dyes."

The young man nodded slowly. "…It's really soft."

"Um… Do you like it?" She stared at Kana with wide, hopeful eyes.

Kana smiled and gave the girl a pat on the head, as if she were another one of his horses. "Oh, no… I mean, it's great! Thanks, Lillian."

Lillian merely let out a soft but slightly nervous laugh, unsure as to Kana's sincerity. He seemed awfully quiet all of a sudden.

"Well, anyway, I just wanted to say hello and drop that off for you... I need to head back to the farm now to start harvesting the buckwheat and soybeans I've been growing since fall."

The young man nodded in response as he slung his new sweater over one shoulder. "Well, Hayate really wants to see you again, so, uh… stop by again soon, okay?"

Lillian grinned mischievously as she gave the horse in question a pat goodbye. "Is it Hayate who wants to see me, or _you_?"

Kana scratched his head sheepishly. "Um… maybe a little bit of both."

The brunette girl merely laughed. "Well, I'll see you soon, then. And good luck with the Snow Festival!"

As she headed out the door, Lillian added in an undertone, half to herself, "I'm interested to see what you come up with…"

Kana rolled his eyes and turned back to Hayate. He'd show her just how great a job he could do as head of the ice sculpting committee.

* * *

In preparation for the Konohana Snow Festival, Kana, as head ice sculptor, was allowed to gather together a group of fellow villagers to assist him in building the town's enormous ice sculpture. They were allotted a full three days to work on it in time for the festival, when the sculpture would be officially unveiled to the entire public. Although all the volunteers would work together in those three days to collect as much ice as they could in the middle of town, Kana would be in charge of the actual construction and design of the sculpture. It was his project this year; everyone else was merely there to help in any way they could.

Mayor Ina had been gathering volunteers for this year's Snow Festival ice sculpting committee, and though she asked Lillian to join in, the farmer had refused. Kana was somewhat relieved by this; he was hoping that Lillian would stay far enough away from the sculpting grounds during the days leading up to the festival for her to be surprised when the finished sculpture was finally unveiled, and he secretly prayed that she would be held up at her farm until the day of the Snow Festival.

Along with Kana himself, four other people had volunteered to assist in the construction that year, the usual amount. The town's mail carrier, Dirk, bounced around obeying Kana's orders cheerfully, full of energy even this early in the morning. Perhaps he was just used to being awake so early every day of the week to deliver people's mail, but it was still kind of strange, nonetheless.

Beside him, Doctor Ayame's apprentice Hiro was a lot more serious as a worker, chipping away at the chunk of ice beside the tall, long-haired Nori, with whom he was making small talk about some tear in his doctor's coat that she could fix. Furthest from everyone else sat Reina, who didn't speak a single word to anyone but worked diligently and smiled on occasion.

Kana smiled to himself as he directed the others and made plans on the design of the sculpture. This Snow Festival's ice sculpture was going to the best Konohana had seen in years… though he didn't really have much to beat, in his opinion, after the giant turnip Reina's uncle Mako had built last year.

He sighed. If only dad could be there… Kana's father had left him years ago in his search for the best horse in the world, and Kana hadn't had any contact with him in years, not even a single letter. Though he still hoped for one… He didn't know where his father was, but he hoped he was all right while traveling the world. Maybe someday he would hear from dad again…

"Hey, Kana!" A voice rang out, startling the young man from his thoughts. Dirk was waving one hand around in the air energetically, beckoning him over. "Come here and help us with this, will you?"

Kana shook his head vigorously, shaking the thoughts out of his mind. He had work to do; there was no time for dozing off, getting lost in his own memories. This ice sculpture wasn't going to build itself, after all.

* * *

On the day of the Snow Festival, snow was falling steadily from the sky, and had already begun to pile up in certain corners of the town in large mounds of frozen white fluff. Fitting weather conditions for such a festival, really- it couldn't be more perfect.

That morning, Kana decided to wear the sweater that Lillian had knitted him out of alpaca wool. The sweater really was soft, and very light while remaining comfortably warm; he hadn't been lying when he said that, though the design was nowhere near something he would normally decide to wear. But it had been a gift from Lillian, and it did have horses on it, and, to his pleasant surprise, it fit him perfectly.

Though he had to wonder just how the girl had managed to get his measurements so precisely, as he inspected his reflection in the mirror and pulled his dark brown hair into its usual ponytail before heading out.

Within a few minutes, he had made it to the ice sculpture grounds, where a small crowd was already gathering. At the head of the crowd stood the immense sculpture of ice, which was covered in a sheet to keep it hidden from prying eyes until the big unveiling. The sculpture was huge, even bigger than last year's, and the team had worked on it into the night to make sure it would be ready in time for the Snow Festival.

As the clock ticked on, Kana glanced around anxiously; although the area was gradually filling up, Lillian's face was nowhere to be seen among the crowd. That is, until he turned around and found her standing directly behind him.

"Oh… there you are, Lillian! Don't sneak up on me like that." He looked her over; she, too, was wearing a homemade alpaca wool sweater, though hers was in a light blue and decorated in a pattern of large white snowflakes and faint lilac stripes that matched her eye color almost perfectly. She had such interesting eyes, he had to admit- in fact, they were one of the first things he had noticed about Lillian when she first moved to Konohana.

Lillian smirked at him. "My footsteps don't sound so heavy now, huh?"

Kana rolled his eyes. "Ha, ha. Actually, we were just about to unveil the big Snow Festival ice sculpture, so I'm really glad you made it on time! For a moment there, I was afraid you weren't going to show up."

This time it was Lillian's turn to roll her eyes. "Of course I was going to show up. You think I was going to miss one of my favorite festivals, especially when my best friend has the most important part in it?"

"Uh… Maybe?"

"_Goddess_, Kana! You are so-"

He raised his arms defensively. "Hey, I was just kidding."

At that moment, the clock struck noon, and Kana grinned. "It's time! You stay here, I'll be right back; I have to be up front for the big unveiling!"

Lillian laughed as he hurried away. "All right, I'll just be waiting here, all alone."

Mayor Ina was standing at the front of the crowd near the ice sculpture, and she smiled as Kana approached, ready to commence the small Snow Festival ceremony.

"People of Konohana," she announced in a deep, booming voice, "It is time for the grand unveiling of this Snow Festival's ice sculpture, as we do each and every year. This year, it has been designed and its creation supervised by none other than our most recent head of the ice sculpting committee- Kana!"

Kana smiled and waved somewhat shyly as light applause rang out among the crowd, and together he and Ina pulled the sheet down from the sculpture, revealing something icy and enormous beneath… something with four legs, and wings…

Following the ceremony, Kana wandered over to join Lillian, who was standing off to the side alone, staring at the ice sculpture inquisitively.

"You like it?" he asked her hopefully.

"…A horse?"

Kana grinned, throwing his arms out dramatically as if to urge everyone in the vicinity to behold the glory of his masterpiece. "Ah-ah, Lillian, not just any horse… it's a Pegasus! A _winged_ horse of myth and legend! Now that's something special."

He leaned closer to Lillian to whisper loudly in her ear, "I modeled her after Hayate, in case you couldn't tell. She looks like an angel." He stared back at the ice sculpture with unmasked adoration.

Lillian couldn't help but snort. Loudly. "Who put _you_ in charge of the ice-sculpting committee, again? First Sheng and his crazy panda sculpture, then the giant turnip, and now this…"

Together, she and Kana approached the giant ice Pegasus, where they could get a much better view of it in its entirety as they continued their conversation.

"Oh, come on, Lillian! Don't be that way. You can't tell me this isn't the most impressive sculpture of ice that you've ever laid eyes on! …And it took us _forever_ to carve."

Lillian giggled and leaned in closer to inspect the sculpture, reaching one hand out toward its wing. "It's beautiful, Kana," she admitted, admiring the exquisite amount of detail given to each individual feather on the wing. "You really did a fantastic job. I never would have guessed you could be so… meticulous. The detail on this is amazing."

Kana shrugged, a smirk on his face. "I'm actually a _very_ meticulous guy, thank you very much."

"Yeah, sure. Says the guy who got his horse treats mixed up with the cookies he was planning to give me for my birthday."

"Hey… That was an accident."

"The same guy who forgot to put the latch on the pasture gate at my farm and let my alpaca run loose through the town for a day until we could catch her!"

"_Also_ an accident!"

Lillian laughed loudly. "Oh, you know I don't really mind. You're a very funny guy, Kana."

They turned to observe the ice sculpture again in silence, and after a moment, the young man sighed. "If only Dad could see this…"

Lillian wrapped her arms around him and nestled her head against his shoulder. "I'm sure your father would be so proud of you."

Kana nodded, a faraway look in his eyes. "I know… But I still wish he could be here sometimes. I miss him."

Lillian lifted one had to softly brush a lock of loose brown hair out of the young man's face. "I understand how you feel. I haven't seen my family in ages… not since I left home for the first time. But I know they still care about me despite the distance between us, just as your father cares about you."

Her friend merely nodded and said nothing, though after a few more minutes, he turned to face her again. Catching sight of the girl's pretty violet eyes, Kana finally spoke up with increased excitement in his voice.

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot- I have a gift for you too, Lillian. You know, since you made me this _lovely_ sweater and all."

Lillian blushed. "You really didn't have to get me anything, Kana… I didn't even think you would like the sweater all that much, to be honest."

Kana laughed. "Are you kidding me? This sweater's great! Nice and soft and warm… and it has horses on it."

The farmer girl giggled in amusement. "Yeah, but I didn't think you were much of a sweater guy. You seem to prefer showing off your ripped biceps," she added half jokingly, poking him in the arm.

"Well, yeah, but it's just a little cold for that right now, don't you think?"

Lillian bobbed her head in agreement and pulled away, wrapping her arms tightly around her body as she spoke. "Yeah, it's definitely cold. I'm freezing right now." She glanced up at the sky. "…And I think the snow is just getting worse."

"We can go inside in a moment," Kana said, "but first… _this_." He lifted something small and sparkling out of his pocket and handed it to Lillian, who looked at the shiny object in her palm in wonder.

"Oh, Kana…!" It was a small, rounded purple stone, an amethyst, which matched the girl's eyes perfectly, attached to a thin silver chain to be worn as a necklace. Upon closer inspection, Lillian saw that it had none other than a tiny horse carved into the flat surface of the gem.

"I'm sorry I didn't wrap it or anything…"

"Oh, that doesn't matter to me!" She smiled at him, her cheeks flushed, though Kana couldn't tell whether it was from the cold or some other emotion. "Thank you! So much... Where did you get this?"

Kana winked at her as he helped her fasten the chain around her neck with clumsy fingers. "Secrets."

Lillian laughed and gave him a quick hug, and then shivered when a cold breeze blew over them.

"Hey…" Kana's voice lowered, and his face turned a slight shade of pink that definitely wasn't a result of the cold nipping at his face. "Want to go warm up at my place? I-I mean… Hey, not like that!" He insisted, seeing the teasing smirk on the brunette girl's face. "What I mean is, I could make us some nice, spicy curry, or something, to warm us up a bit… you like curry, don't you?"

Lillian nodded, her face red as she smiled, one hand curled over the beautiful charm on her necklace. "Sounds nice, Kana. Let's go."

Together, they took off toward Kana's house arm in arm across the fresh layer of snow, leaving only a giant Pegasus of ice behind them.

Yes, Lillian thought to herself, winter was definitely her favorite season.

* * *

**A/N: So I'll admit, I don't know much about this Snow Festival at all, mostly because I never actually experienced it in the game, as I never got very far in my Tale of Two Towns playthrough and spent the majority of that time living in Bluebell. But after hearing that Kana makes this big Pegasus ice sculpture during his year of the festival, I just had the urge to write this. Kana's horse obsession seems kind of strange to me, but he's probably one of my favorite bachelors in the game.**

**It was nice trying something totally new and writing about a character I had never written about before! I hope you enjoyed the story, OffCenterFold, as well as everyone else who read! :)**

**-Cotton Candy Mareep**


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